The former first lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama opens up about her miscarriage, the struggle to cope with it and going through IVF to conceive.

Michelle Obama, the former first lady of the United States of America is an inspiration to millions of women around the world. In an exclusive interview with ABC News anchor Robin Roberts, the former first lady reveals hitherto unknown challenges on her difficult journey to motherhood. Part of the interview was aired on Good Morning America where she revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage 20 years ago, which left her feeling “lost and alone.”

Coping with a miscarriage can be very traumatic. Apart from the physical distress, the emotional agony takes a humongous toll on a woman and very often, the couple’s relationship. Michelle and Barack Obama’s marriage was no different and had hit rock bottom following the miscarriage. In fact, Michelle Obama also revealed that the couple had to seek marriage counseling to sort out the differences and save the relationship.

“Marriage counseling for us was one of those ways where we learned how to talk out our differences,” Michelle Obama says in the interview. “I know too many young couples who struggle and think that somehow there’s something wrong with them. And I want them to know that Michelle and Barack Obama, who have a phenomenal marriage and who love each other, we work on our marriage. And we get help with our marriage when we need it.”

Often it is seen that women who suffer a miscarriage are unable to to deal with the pain, which is worsened by the isolation that ensues as this is still a somewhat taboo topic. Michelle Obama aptly articulates the anguish when she says, “We sit in our own pain, thinking that somehow we’re broken.” In India, things get more complicated because more often than not it is the woman who is blamed for not being able to give the family a ‘family-heir’. Also, the additional pressure to try and conceive a child as soon as possible, further adds to the trauma.

Michelle Obama also spoke of how she and Barack Obama underwent fertilization treatments to conceive their daughters Sasha and Malia, now 17 and 20. “The biological clock is real … egg production is limited. I realised as I was 34 and 35, we had to do IVF. I think it’s the worst thing that we do to each other as women, not share the truth about our bodies and how they work.”

These revelations come ahead of Tuesday’s release of Mrs. Obama’s memoir Becoming, where she talks about the fascinating journey her life has been, from the challenges of growing up as a African-American girl in Chicago to her momentous ascension as the country’s first black first lady.

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